Italian country singer, Nadia Lanfranconi, infuses her heritage with her love of country music, and that is never so prevalent than with her new music single and it’s accompanying video for “Italian Country Song.” The song’s theme features her engaging lyrics with catchy music. Lanfranconi debuted her music in 2008 with her American EP, Bad Story. Her songs feature what a great country song is made of, and the influences that make up Lanfranconi’s life story; Jesus, Johnny Cash and sweet romance.

Not only is Lanfranconi a musician, she’s also an actress, and has been featured in “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” and “Entourage.” Her acting skills and natural beauty are shown throughout her new video for “Italian Country Song,” featuring direction from frequent collaborator, Andrea “Vonjako” Giacomini, who also directed her previous videos for “Always” and “Let That Baby Ride.”

We had a fun chat with Lanfranconi about her heritage, country music, creative freedom as a musician and actress, her new video, single and more.

What was your first introduction to country music growing up?

Nadia Lanfranconi: When I was 16 I discovered Johnny Cash through some older musicians I knew in town, they went to the states and came back with all these records we’ve never heard before! Also growing up listening to Social Distortion played an important role as the singer’s side project is very country. I loved it immediately.

What, in particular, do you love about country music the most?

Nadia: I think country music has exceptional melodies, great guitar sound and amazing heart felt story telling. And yes, I love Jesus and as we all know that’s big in that genre.

You’re also an actress; how do each profession(s) give you the creative freedom you desire. Is there one you prefer over the other?

Nadia: Yes, playing your own music is like presenting to everybody your inside world, it takes more courage for me to go on stage than to go on set. Acting doesn’t give as much fear so what do you think I prefer? The one that scares me the most is the one I want more.

The new music video for your single “Italian Country Song,” was filmed with your longtime collaborator. What was the vision behind the video, and what was filming like for it?

Nadia: I’ve asked the director Jako his input to answer this question. The vision was to create a mix of old school country scenery and American vibe wih a twist of Italian flavor. Sort an hybrid between American country and Italian country. Pasta and BBQ. Always in a way to bring a smile to someone. Just wanted to show my passion for this country and their culture, the love for simple things, animals and lifestyle. We had a lot of fun filming in all these locations and took our chances sometimes. Like the classic western town from “high noon” . I’ve been working with Vonjako for a long time and we have an easy creative workflow when we film those videos.

I love that you include your Italian culture in your music; what are some of your biggest influences from your culture that you love to include in your music and your acting?

Nadia: Italians don’t take them selves too seriously, they like to laugh, hang out and share food. Especially share food. Everything is done with company, cause it’s all about the company and never about the place. You can take the girl out of Italy, but not Italy out of the girl, if you know what I mean.

What’s next for you through the rest of this year? How about into 2019?

Nadia: I’m actually recoding something new right now in a great studio in Los Angeles, something softer. And you might see me on Tv over the next weeks on a new Mitsubishi commercial that’s gonna run from the 3rd week of October on, I don’t watch tv so you guys have to let me know if you see me, ok?

What are five albums or artists you wouldn’t want to live without?

Nadia: Tough question, only 5? Chris Stapleton, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Cash, The 60’s greatest hits album I listened to when I was 10, and Keith Urban, funny story I literally crashed into him on the stairs of a theatre during the Premiere of his wife’s show and when I went back to my seat I told my friend:
“Omg, I just had an heart attack, I fell into Keith Urban,” and my friend said, “ Who?” (laughs)

Italy’s The Silver Snails are a pop rock band having released their full-length debut album, The 7 Melodies, featuring eight tracks. The band is comprised of lead singer, Lucas Ward and his wife Elisa Fantini, and both take inspiration from the family’s rustic backdrop in the wine country of Romagna, Italy, and combine it with their contemporary sound that attracts a global audience.

Songs on The 7 Melodies, the group’s ambitious, harmonically rich debut album, are sung in English, French, Italian, Mandarin, and even a bit of Sanskrit. Their influences include The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Pink Floyd and other British musicians that are reflective throughout their music. Other influences include Beethoven, Irish, jazz and many other diverse genres.

The Silver Snails are exclusively premiering their new single “Beatrice Russo,” and Ward shares with our audience about the single below:

“Though complex and multi-layered underneath, “Beatrice Russo” is meant to be sweet and accessible to the listener. The complexity starts with the harmony. The song calls for chords moving every bar the whole song, over a completely original chord cycle in two parts (AB) modulated up a half-step (A’B’) and then repeated a third time in the original key. In reality the song doesn’t have a ‘key’ in the traditional sense, it simply has starting points and end-points and a precise sequence of chords based around chromatically descending bass-lines.

The chromatic descending bass thing I identify most closely with Jobim (e.g. ‘Corcovado’) but others have used it to give a sense harmonic momentum. At the same time, I wanted to create melodies which sound accessible and ‘tonal’ over this constantly moving, a-tonal chord train. Finally, I wanted to create separate ‘male’ and ‘female’ melodies which both interact in duet fashion as well as solo (for example the female takes the lead and with new melody during the middle A’B’ section). In addition, since the theme of the song is ‘impossible love’, a là Romeo & Juliet, I decided to make it an international love story, with my male lead in English and the female lead sung by Elisa in Italian.

A muse for the song was the film “Il Postino,” in which Pablo Neruda’s postman (Massimo Troisi) is inspired by his crush on a girl from his village (Maria Cucinotta) to compose his first ‘metaphor’. When pressed by the great poet to confess the name of his muse, it rolls off his tongue like fresh molasses: ‘Beatrice… Russo… ‘. We note that Beatrice was also the name of Dante’s love and muse (his avataric guide in ‘The Divine Comedy’ was Virgilio…

Though composed on the piano, “Beatrice Russo” is guitar-driven using 8th note picking-style comp. The song also features real drums and lush analog (‘real’) strings which recorded in Sarsina, Italy, along with all the other studio tracks.”